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Panoramas and pipers in Canada’s Maritimes


Prince Edward Island

Green Gables and New Scotland
The next day, we crossed the eight-mile-long Confederation Bridge to Prince Edward Island, and I was instantly charmed by the beautiful and clean agricultural landscape with numerous potato fields stretching to the horizon.

“Prince Edward Island is the neatest, tidiest little province,” said Lisa. “There is a great pride of place.”

We could see why Lucy Maud Montgomery was so enthralled with her native home, which she portrayed so vividly in her series of books about Anne of Green Gables.

The Green Gables Heritage Site preserves the home of her grandparents’ cousins, which provided much of the inspirations for her books. Yes, it has green gables, and the interior rooms are decorated to represent characters in the books.

“This is where she lived and what she wrote about,” said Lisa. “No one loved this island like Lucy Maud Montgomery.”

After another ferry ride back to Nova Scotia, we crossed the milelong Canso Causeway to Cape Breton Island.

“Nova Scotia is Latin for New Scotland,” said Lisa. “We are entering the Scottish area. You start to see the real New Scotland.”

The landscape became more rugged, with tree-covered hills and the upper part of the Appalachian Mountains. Spruce, balsam, fir and pine trees abound.

Our first stop was the large museum at the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site. The inventor of the telephone spent the last 40 years of his life in a large house he built near Baddeck.

“Our story is more about what he did after the telephone,” said a guide.

Unlike our first whale-watching experience, we didn’t see any whales the next day on a trip into the Gulf of St. Lawrence from Cheticamp, but we did see tuna breaching, which the captain told us was unusual.

The trip did give us a good view of the peaks and steep cliffs of Cape Breton Highlands National Park. After a box lunch at the park entrance, we drove the 186-mile Cabot Trail.

“It’s well known worldwide for its scenic beauty,” said Lisa.

Although the day was overcast, we were able to get several spectacular photo ops from stops along the trail.

The rain, which we had eluded since our first morning in Halifax, finally caught up with us on the final day. “This is called a mausy day in Newfoundland,” said Lisa.

Unfortunately, the rain put somewhat of a damper on our stop at Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site, the reconstruction of a French fortress town on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean that is marking its 300th anniversary this year.

Reconstructed by out-of-work coal miners in the 1960s, the sprawling town is staffed with interpreters in period costumes.

“They have reconstructed one-fifth,” said Lisa. “When you go there, it will be 1744. It is reconstructed exactly. The French were meticulous record keepers.”

“This is a very authentic 18th-century day here in Louisbourg,” said guide Hilda Bagnall. “We have the largest collection of 18th-century artifacts — some five and a half million — in the world. And this is just one-fifth.”

The final day’s rain couldn’t dampen our experience in touring the Maritimes, which lived up to and exceeded my expectations. It was worth the wait.

Atlantic Tours
800-565-7173

www.atlantictours.com